Dental implant

ABSTRACT

A dental implant is provided for supporting a dental prosthesis. The implant can comprise a body having an outer surface, a distal end, and a proximal end. The dental implant can include at least one thread located on at least a portion of the outer surface of the body. The thread can include a proximal flank and a distal flank. The thread can also include a face that extends between the proximal flank and the distal flank. Further, the dental implant can include a first helical groove formed on the face and/or a second helical groove formed on the body.

BACKGROUND Field of the Inventions

The present inventions generally relate to dental implants, and morespecifically, to threaded dental implants.

Description of the Related Art

Implant dentistry involves the restoration of one or more teeth in apatient's mouth using artificial components. Such artificial componentstypically include a dental implant and a prosthetic tooth and/or anabutment that is secured to the dental implant. Generally, the processfor restoring a tooth is carried out in three stages.

The dental implant is typically fabricated from pure titanium or atitanium alloy. The dental implant typically includes a body portion anda collar. The body portion is configured to extend into andosseointegrate with the alveolar bone. The top surface of the collartypically lies flush with the crest of the jawbone bone. The abutment(e.g., a final abutment) typically lies on the top surface and extendsthrough the soft tissue, which lies above the alveolar bone. Recently,some dental implants have collars that extend above the crest of thejawbone and through the soft tissue.

Implants of various tapers and with various thread profiles are known inthe art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,527 describes a conicalimplant design that is placed into a cylindrical osteotomy site in orderto induce bone compression at the coronal aspect of the implant, i.e. atits widest end. Other thread profiles and patterns are known in the art.The most common design involves a symmetrical, V-shaped appearance suchas that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,319. A variable threadprofile is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,435,723 and 5,527,183 which ismathematically optimized for stress transfer under occlusal loads. U.S.Pat. Nos. 3,797,113 and 3,849,887 describe dental implants with externalthread-like features having a flat shelf facing the coronal end of theimplant.

While such prior art dental implants have been successful, there is acontinuing desire to improve a dental implant's ability toosseointegrate with the alveolar bone and to improve the stability ofthe dental implant within the alveolar bone.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment disclosed herein is a dental implant for supporting adental prosthesis comprising a body. The body can comprise an outersurface, a distal end, and a proximal end. The dental implant can alsoinclude at least one thread located on at least a portion of the outersurface of the body. The thread can include a proximal flank and adistal flank. The thread can also include a face that extends betweenthe proximal flank and the distal flank. The dental implant can alsoinclude a first helical groove formed on the face and a second helicalgroove formed on the body.

Another embodiment is a dental implant for supporting a dentalprosthesis comprising a body. The body can comprise an outer surface, adistal body portion, and a proximal body portion. The dental implant canalso include at least one thread. The thread can comprise a distalthread portion extending over the distal body portion and a proximalthread portion extending over the proximal body portion. The thread cancomprise a proximal flank and a distal flank. The thread can furthercomprise a face extending between the proximal flank and the distalflank wherein the face increases in thickness from the distal threadportion to the proximal thread portion. The dental implant can alsoinclude a groove located on the face of at least a portion of theproximal thread portion.

Further embodiments of the invention are defined by the dependentclaims. These and other embodiments of the present invention will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiments having reference to theattached figures, the invention not being limited to any particularpreferred embodiment(s) disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The abovementioned and other features of the inventions disclosed hereinare described below with reference to the drawings of the preferredembodiments. The illustrated embodiments are intended to illustrate, butnot to limit the inventions. The drawings contain the following figures:

FIG. 1A is a side view of a dental implant in accordance with anembodiment of the present inventions.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the dental implant of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a top view of the dental implant of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D is a cross sectional side view of the dental implant of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is perspective view of an embodiment of an abutment, which isconfigured to mate with the implant of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2B is a cross sectional side view of the abutment of FIG. 2A

FIG. 3A is a side view of an embodiment of a coupling bolt, which isconfigured to meet with the implant of FIG. 1A and the abutment of FIG.2A.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the coupling bolt of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional side view of the implant of FIG. 1A and theabutment of FIG. 2A attached together with the coupling bolt of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the dental implant.

FIG. 6 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the dental implant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate an embodiment of a dental implant 20. In thisembodiment, the implant 20 comprises an implant body 32, which includesa lower portion 34 and a collar 36. The implant 20 may be made oftitanium, although other materials may be used, such as various types ofceramics. The lower portion 34 can be tapered and can include a pair ofthreads 38 that are located on an outer surface 35 of the lower portion34. As will be explained below, although the illustrated embodimentincludes a pair of threads 38 that each extends helically around theimplant, modified embodiments may include more or less threads. Inaddition, as explained below, the body 32 is illustrated as beinggenerally conical or tapered. However, in other embodiments, the body 32can be substantially cylindrical or otherwise shaped. The dental implant20 can comprise a proximal end 22, a proximal portion 26 generallyadjacent the proximal end 22, a distal end 24 and a distal portion 28generally adjacent the distal end.

In the illustrated embodiment, the implant body 32 includes an outersurface or a bone apposition surface 40, which can be configured topromote osseointegration. In one embodiment, the bone apposition surface40 is configured to promote osseointegration by increasing the surfacearea of the body 32. In this regard, the bone apposition surface 40 canbe formed by roughening the implant body 32 in several differentmanners, such as, for example, by acid-etching, grit blasting, and/ormachining. Alternatively, the bone apposition surface 40 can be formedby coating the lower surface with a substance in order to promoteosseointegration. In some embodiments, this may result in decreasing orincreasing the surface area of the implant body 32. Calcium phosphateceramics, such as tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and hydroxyapatite (HA) areexamples of materials that can enhance osseointegration by changing thechemistry of the outer surface 40. In other embodiments, the outersurface 28 can comprise macroscopic structures, such as, for example,threads, micro-threads, indentations, and/or grooves that are configuredto promote osseointegration and can be used alone or combined with theroughening and/or the coatings described above. In one embodiment, theouter surface 28 comprises a microstructure surface, such as, a highlycrystalline and phosphate enriched titanium oxide microstructuredsurface with open pores in the low micrometer range. An example of sucha surface is sold under the trademark, TiUnite™ by Nobel Biocare AB™. Inanother embodiment, it is particularly advantageous for a zirconiumceramic body can be coated with porous zirconium to provide amicrostructure surface. In another embodiment, the microstructuresurface can be coated with a substance configured to promoteosseointegration (such as BMP).

With continued reference to FIG. 1A, the collar 36 can lie above thelower portion 34 and, in the illustrated embodiment, can be integrallyformed with or permanently affixed to the lower portion 34. The collar36 can be defined at least in part by a sidewall 44. In the illustratedembodiment, the sidewall 44 includes two semicircular grooves 46 thatare positioned circumferentially around the sidewall 44 of the collar36. The semicircular grooves 46 can provide additional growth surfacefor soft tissue, such as that of a patient's gums. In one embodiment,the semi-circular grooves 46 have a width of about 150 microns and adepth of about 50 microns. The grooves 46 can be sized so that one ormore grooves 46 occupy a substantial portion of the collar 36. In theillustrated embodiment of FIG. 1A, two grooves 46 are shown as occupyinga substantial portion of the collar 36 (e.g., greater than 50% of atotal area). In modified embodiments, the collar 36 can be provided withmore, less or no grooves and/or grooves with different dimensions andconfigurations. In other embodiments, the circumferential protrusions ormicro-threads can be provided on the collar 36. In general, suchstructures on the collar 36 are advantageously configured to load theharder cortical bone through which the implant 20 is inserted but to alesser extent as compared to the threads 38 of the implant 20, which canbe configured to engage the spongy cancellous bone positioned below thecortical bone. In other embodiments, the collar 36 can benon-cylindrical with, for example, inwardly tapered or have a reversetaper side wall.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-ID, each of the threads 38 comprisesa distal flank 54 and a proximal flank 56 that are connected by a face58. As mentioned above the illustrated dental implant 20 includes a pairof threads 38 that begin at opposing sides of the distal end 24 andprogress towards the proximal end 22 along the lower portion 34 whilemaintaining opposing positions along the lower portion 34 of the implantbody 32. Accordingly, in the illustrated embodiment each of the threads38 have the same pitch. It will be appreciated that, although theillustrated embodiment shows two threads 38, other suitable numbers ofthreads may also be used, such as one or three.

As best seen in FIG. 1D, in the illustrated embodiment, the face 58 ofeach of the threads 38 increases in thickness T as the threads 38progress from the distal end 24 to the proximal end 22 of the dentalimplant 20. That is, a distal portion of threads 38 in the distalportion 26 of the implant 20 comprises a thinner face than a proximalportion of the threads 38 on the proximal portion 28 of the implant 20.

The implant body 32 can define at least three different angles: an firstangle can be defined by the general shape of the implant body 32; asecond angle can be defined by the faces 58 of the threads 38; and athird angle can be defined by the base of the thread. A similarprinciple can be seen in PCT Application No. PCT/IL2004/000438(International Publication No. 2004/103202), the entirety of which isincorporated herein by reference. With reference to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1D,the conical shape of the lower portion 34 of the implant body 32 cancomprise a variable angle. The variable angle can vary such that theangle at the distal portion 28 is shallower than that at the proximalportion 26. Further, the faces 58 of the threads 38 can also be conicaland the faces 58 of the threads 38 can define a varying conical angle.The angle defined by the faces 58 of the threads 38 can be differentfrom the varying conical angle formed by the lower portion 34 of theimplant body 32. That is, the conical angle defined by the lower portion34 of the implant body 32 can be shallower than the conical angle formedby faces 58 of the threads 38. In one embodiment, the conical angledefined by the lower portion 34 of the implant body 32 can be greaterthan the conical angle formed by faces 58 of the threads 38. Althoughthe illustrated embodiment utilizes the aforementioned conical anglerelations, other suitable relations may be used. Such suitable relationsmay comprise threads 38 in which the faces 58 are not conical and definea generally cylindrical shape and/or where the faces 58 of the threads38 that define a conical angle that closely matches the conical angle ofthe lower portion 34 of the implant body 32. In still other embodiments,the angel defined by the faces 58 of the threads 38 and/or the angledefined by the body 32 can be generally parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the implant 20 such that they are substantially cylindrical.

With reference to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, in the illustrated embodiment,the lower portion 34 of the dental implant 20 comprises two flutes 48that are positioned on the distal portion 28 of the dental implant 20.The flutes 48 are configured to aid in inserting the dental implant 20and will be discussed in greater detail below. The lower portion 34 alsocomprises upper grooves 50 that in the proximal portion 26 of the dentalimplant 20 are located on the faces 58 of each of the pair of threads.In the distal portion 28 of the implant, lower grooves 52 are locatedbetween each of the threads 38 on the surface 35 on the distal portion28 of the dental implant 20. In general, the grooves 50, 52 extend in agenerally helical pattern. In the illustrated embodiment, each groove50, 52 is substantially continuous. However, in modified embodiments,one or both grooves 50, 52 can be formed to be non-continuous. Forexample, the grooves 50, 52 can be formed from a series of shortergrooves, dimples, or indentations that together form a generally helicalpattern. However, continuous grooves can advantageously promote boneattachment as growth as it has been observed that bone tissue likes togrow along continuous channels.

With reference to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the flutes 48 can comprise agenerally helical shape. Further, the flutes 48 can extend from thedistal end 24 toward a generally central portion of the dental implant20. The flutes 48 can be located at generally opposing positions alongthe lower portion 34 of the implant body 32. In the illustratedembodiment, the flutes 48 are configured to cut, or remove bone, whenthe dental implant 20 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction.Furthermore, the flutes 48 are configured to allow the dental implant 20to be rotated clockwise without cutting or removing bone. However, boneremoval may be accomplished by rotating the implant counterclockwise.

Although the illustrated embodiment of the dental implant 20 has beenshown with flutes 48 that are configured to cut when the dental implant20 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, other suitable flutes orflute orientations may also be used. Such suitable flutes or fluteorientations may comprise flutes that are configured to cut or provide atapping function when the dental implant 20 is rotated in a clockwisedirection.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B the upper grooves 50 and thelower grooves 52 are located on the dental implant 20 to, e.g. provideadditional surfaces for osseointegration. The upper grooves 50 can belocated on the faces 58 of the portions of the threads 38 located on theproximal portion 26 of the dental implant 20. The upper grooves 50 canbegin at the proximal end 22 of the lower portion 34 and extend towardthe distal end 24 along the faces 58 of the threads 38 approximatelyover at least about 37% of the length of the lower portion 34. In theillustrated embodiment, the upper grooves 50 dissipate and/or tapertoward the distal end 24 of the implant 20. The dissipation and/ortapering of the upper grooves 50 can occur over a distance approximatelywithin a ¼-½ rotation of the implant 20. In some embodiments, theportion of the faces 58 beyond the dissipation and/or taper will notinclude the upper grooves 50. The illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1Aillustrates that the upper grooves 50 can extend approximately along theproximal 37% of the length of the lower portion 34; however, in otherembodiments, the upper grooves 50 can be formed to extend approximatelyalong the proximal 10% to the proximal 80% of the lower portion 34, andin other embodiments the upper grooves 50 may extend approximately alongthe proximal 20% to the proximal 50% of the lower portion 34.

The lower grooves 52 can begin at the distal end 24 of the dentalimplant 20 and can be formed between the pair of threads 38 on the outersurface 35 of the lower portion 34 of the implant body 32. The lowergrooves 52, in the illustrated embodiment, can extend toward theproximal end 22 of the implant 20 over approximately the distal 75% ofthe lower portion 34. The outer surface 35 can be formed such that thelower grooves 52 dissipate and/or taper toward the proximal end 22 ofthe implant 20. The dissipation and/or tapering of the lower grooves 52can occur over a distance approximately within a ¼-½ rotation of theimplant 20. In some embodiments, the portion of the outer surface 35between the threads beyond the dissipation and/or taper will not includethe lower grooves 52. Although the illustrated embodiment shows thatlower grooves 52 can extend approximately along the distal 75% of thelower portion 34 of the dental implant 20, in other embodiments, thelower grooves 52 may extend over the distal 10% to the distal 100% ofthe lower portion 34, and in yet other embodiments may extend over thedistal 50% to the distal 80% of the lower portion 34.

In the illustrated embodiment, the configuration of the lower grooves 52and the upper grooves 50 can result in the upper and lower grooves 50,52 overlapping along at least a portion of the lower portion 34 of theimplant body 32. That is, in the illustrated embodiment, there is aportion of the lower portion 34 of the implant body 32 that comprisesboth the upper and lower grooves 50, 52. Although the illustratedembodiment shows that the upper grooves 50 and the lower grooves 52overlap, in other embodiments the upper grooves 50 and the lower grooves52 may not overlap and/or may terminate at a meeting point between theupper and lower grooves 50, 52 or prior to a meeting point between theupper and lower grooves 50, 52.

The upper and lower grooves 50, 52 can be sized such that the upperand/or lower grooves 50, 52 occupy only a portion of the faces 58 or theouter surface 35 of the lower portion 34 between the threads 38. It willbe appreciated that in other embodiments the upper and/or lower grooves50, 52 may be sized such that they occupy substantially all of the faces58 and/or substantially all of a portion of the outer surface 35 betweenthe threads 38.

Additionally or alternatively the upper and lower grooves 50, 52 can beformed on the upper and lower flanks 56, 54 of the threads 38.

As best seen in FIGS. 1C and 1D, the dental implant 20 can also comprisea cavity or internal connection interface 66 that is open at theproximal end 22 of the dental implant 20. In the illustrated embodiment,the cavity 66 comprises an conical chamber 68, an hexagonal interlockrecess 74 and a threaded chamber 70. The conical chamber 68 andinterlock recess 74 can be configured to receive an abutment and thethreaded chamber 70 can be configured to receive a coupling screw.

The threaded chamber 70 can be located generally below the abutmentchamber 68. As was mentioned above, the threaded chamber 70 can beconfigured to receive a coupling screw (not shown) that is configured toattach an abutment to the implant 20.

Although the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1D has been shownwith a conical shaped inner wall 80 and a generally hexagonal shapedinterlock recess 74, other suitable shapes and styles of recesses mayalso be used (e.g., square, non-round, and other shapes). Furthermore,it may be appreciated by one skilled in the art, that some embodimentsof the dental implant 20 may omit a cavity 66 all together and may usean external coupling device (e.g., an external hex) and/or an integrallyformed abutment, which will be discussed in greater detail withreference to FIGS. 5A and 6A. With respect to the illustratedembodiment, additional details and modified embodiments of the cavity 66can be found in Applicant's co-pending application filed on the samedate as this application under Attorney Docket Number NOBELB.265A,entitled “DENTAL IMPLANT AND DENTAL COMPONENT CONNECTION,” the entiretyof which is also incorporated herein by reference.

The illustrated socket 66 is advantageously configured to provide anenhanced connection interface and to provide flexibility such that theimplant 20 can mate with multiple types of dental components. Inparticular, as noted above, the conical portion 68 comprises a side wallthat tapers inwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis L of theimplant 20 providing a wider initial opening for the socket 66. Withreference to FIG. 1C, the particular geometry of the conical chamber 68defines a conical half angle α with respect to the longitudinal axis L.In one embodiment, the conical half angle is between about 10 degreesand about 20 degrees. That is, the angle between the inner wall 80 and alongitudinal center line L preferably is between about 10 degrees andabout 20 degrees. In one embodiment, the conical half angle is about 12degrees.

In one embodiment, the ratio between the length (d1) of the conicalportion 68 and the length (d2) the interlock recess 74 is about 1:1. Inone preferred embodiment, the depth (d1) of the conical portion 68 is atleast about 1 mm and the depth (d2) of the interlock recess 74 is atleast about 1 mm. As shown in FIG. 1D, the length (d1) of the conicalportion 68 is a distance measured in a vertical direction from the topsurface 21 of the implant 20 to the portion of the socket 66 in whichthe tapered surfaces 80 of the conical portion 68 terminate. The length(d2) of the interlock recess 74 is measured in a vertical direction fromthe end of the conical portion 68 to the end of the interlock recess 74.The ratios and length of the conical portion 68 and the depth and lengthof the interlock recess 74 advantageously combine the benefits of asufficiently long tapered connection to provide an effective seal with asufficiently long interlock recess 74 such that a sufficient drivingtorque can be transmitted to the implant 20, when the implant is driveninto the patient.

Yet another advantage of the illustrated embodiment is an area orthickness of the substantially planar top surface 21 of the implant 20.In one embodiment, the top surface 21 of the implant 20 advantageouslycan provide a surface to support certain dental restorations on the topsurface 21 of the implant 20. Additionally or alternatively, the topsurface 21 can be used to support a component that bypasses theinterlock recess 74. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the top surface 21of the implant 20 has at least a thickness as measured between the outerand inner periphery of the top surface 21 that is greater than at least0.2 mm and in another embodiment greater than about 0.25 mm. In oneembodiment, the thickness of the top surface 21 is about 0.25 mm.

The embodiments described above provide for improved stability of adental implant when implanted in the alveolar bone. Furthermore, certainembodiments of the invention provide efficient utilization of space. Forexample, as described above, in certain embodiments, the upper groove 50is located on the face 58 of the thread 38 at a portion of the body 32containing the internal connection interface 66. Hence, the strength ofthe body of the implant 20 at this location remains unaffected. If theupper groove 50 had been located on the body 32 at this portion, lessspace would have been available for the internal connection interface 66with maintained minimum wall thickness at specific dimensions tomaintain body strength. Hence, having the upper groove 50 positioned atthe face 58 in the portion of the internal connection interface 66improves the space available for the connection interface 66 and stillprovides for improved stability of the implant 20. In some embodiments,the wall thickness will be sufficient if the upper groove 50 is locatedat the face 58 only at the portion of the interlock recess 74 but atleast partly not at the location of he threaded chamber 70.

In the portion of the body 32 that does not include the internalconnection interface 66, the lower groove 52 can be located on the body32. This will not deteriorate the strength of the implant 20substantially as the implant 20 of the illustrated embodiment does notinclude any internal recess 66 at this portion. This provides for theoption of having a thinner face of the thread 38 at this location, suchas a variable thread thickness, which may provide for even furtherimproved stability of the implant 20. Hence, the location of the grooves50, 52 provides for stability themselves as well as their specificlocations. In addition, efficient utilization of the space availablewithout compromising strength is provided. The locations also providesfor flexibility, as the locations for the grooves 50, 52 can be used onimplants having either an internal connection interface 66 or anexternal connection interface (described below).

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an embodiment of an abutment 100 that isconfigured to mate with the implant 20 described above. As will beexplained below, the abutment 100 is one example of a variety of dentalcomponents, such as, for example, a healing cap, impression coping, atemporary healing abutment, or a final abutment that can be configuredto be attached to the implant 20. Additional details regarding theillustrated embodiment and regarding modified embodiments of theabutment 100 and other mating components can be found in Applicant'sco-pending application filed on the same date as this application underAttorney Docket Number NOBELB.265A, entitled “DENTAL IMPLANT AND DENTALCOMPONENT CONNECTION,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein byreference. The abutment 100 can be made of a dental grade titanium,however, other suitable materials such as various types of ceramics canbe used.

As seen in FIGS. 2A and 2B the abutment 100 can include a shaped portion102, a conical portion 104, and an interlock portion 106. The interlockportion 106 comprises a generally hexagonal shape that is sized to fitwith in the interlock recess 74 of the dental implant 20. Although theparticular embodiment of the abutment 100 has been illustrated with agenerally hexagonal interlock portion 106 other suitable shapes may alsobe used. Such alternative suitable shapes may comprise other shapesconfigured to mate with interlock recess 74 and to prevent rotation ofthe abutment 100.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the conical portion 104 isconfigured to be at least partially inserted into the abutment chamber68 and/or to rest on top of the corners 78 of the dental implant 20.Above the conical portion 104, the abutment 100 comprises the shapedportion 102, which in the illustrated embodiment is shaped such that theabutment 100 is a final abutment. It should be appreciated that theshaped portion 102 can be shaped into any desirable shape such as thatof a temporary abutment, healing abutment etc. As described in theafore-mentioned Applicant's co-pending application, the conical portion104 of the abutment 100 can engage the top surface of the implant in atapered or sealed fit.

As best seen in FIG. 2B, an inner bore 110 can extend through the centerof the abutment 100. The inner bore 110 can be divided into a first andsecond region 112 and 114. The first region 112 can comprise a diameterthat is slightly larger than the diameter of the second region 114.Accordingly, a seat 116 can be formed between the first and secondregions 112 and 114. This seat 116 can support a coupling member 200(see FIG. 3A), which will be described below. The second region 114 caninclude internal capture threads 118 that are configured to interfacewith the coupling member 200.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an embodiment of a coupling member 200 thatcan be used mechanically couple the abutment 100 to the implant 20. Thecoupling member 200 can also be made of a dental grade titanium alloy,although other suitable materials can be used. The coupling member 200can be sized and shaped to extend through the inner bore 110 of theabutment 100 and into the cavity 66 of the implant 20. The couplingmember 200 can include an externally threaded lower region 202 thatengages the internal capture threads 118 of the abutment 100 and engagesthe threaded chamber 70 of the implant 20. The threads 204 of thecoupling member 200 can engage the capture threads 118 so that thecoupling screw 200 does not become disassociated as the abutment 100 istransferred and lifted into a patient's mouth.

The coupling member or screw 200 also includes a recess 206 in a shapeconfigured to receive a Unigrip® rotational tool provided by NobelBiocare™. In other embodiments, the recess 208 can have a differentshape, such as, for example, a hexagon configured to allow for theinsertion of a hexagonally shaped tool such as a conventional Allen®wrench to install or remove the coupling screw 200 from the implant 20.

FIG. 4 is a side cross sectional view illustrating the abutment 100coupled to the dental implant 20 with the coupling screw 200. Asillustrated, the interlock portion 106 of the abutment 100 is alignedand inserted into the interlock recess 74 of the dental implant 20.Furthermore, the conical portion 104 of the abutment 100 is insertedinto the receiving chamber 68 of the dental implant 20. The abutment 100can be inserted into the cavity 66 of the dental implant 20 such thatthe lower end 108 of the interlock portion 106 is in contact with thelower end 75 of the interlock recess 74. As shown in FIG. 4, a topsurface 21 of the implant 20 can remain exposed when the abutment 100 iscoupled to the implant 20. In one embodiment, the exposed top surfacehas thickness N of at least about 0.2 millimeters and in one embodimenta thickness of about 0.25 millimeters.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, the lower threaded region 202 of thecoupling screw 200 can be engaged with the threaded chamber 70 of thedental implant 20 and the seat 210 of the coupling screw 200 is abuttingthe seat 116 of the abutment 100. This engagement of the coupling screw200 and the abutment 100 and the dental implant 20 can thereby securethe abutment 100 to the dental implant 20.

Although the embodiment of the dental implant 20 described above hasbeen shown with a cavity 66 for receiving a separate abutment 100, otherconfigurations may also be used. Such an alternate or modifiedconfiguration is illustrated in FIG. 5A.

The dental implant 20′, shown in FIG. 5, can comprise the same generalshapes and structures as the dental implant 20 described above. Thedental implant 20′ includes an implant body 32′ that comprises a collar36′ and a lower portion 34′ that further comprises threads 38′. Onedifference between the embodiment of the implant 20′ and the embodimentof the dental implant 20 is that the dental implant 20′ comprises anintegrated abutment 100′ that is integrally formed with the implant body32′ such that the abutment 100′ and the implant body 32′ are onecontinuous piece.

Similar to the abutment 100 of FIG. 2A, the integrally formed abutment100′ can be formed into any suitable shape such as that of a healingcap, impression coping, a temporary healing abutment, or a finalabutment. As with the abutment 100 and the implant 20, the implant 20′is made of titanium, however, other suitable materials such as varioustypes of ceramics can also be used.

Another alternative embodiment of a dental implant is shown in FIG. 6.The dental implant 20″, once again, can comprise the same general shapesand structures as that of the dental implant 20. The dental implant 20″comprises an implant body 32″ that comprises a collar 36″ and a lowerportion 34″. Threads 38″ are located in the lower portion 34“. Onedifference between the embodiment of the implant 20″ and the embodimentof the dental implant 20′ or the embodiment of the dental implant 20 isthat the dental implant 20″ comprises a hexagonal structure 88” thatextends above the collar 36″ and is integrally formed with the implant20″. The hexagonal structure 88″ is configured to mate with a variety ofdifferent devices including implant insertion tools or various types ofabutments. Such suitable abutments for mating with the dental implant20″ could comprise a suitable recess to receive the hexagonal structure88″, however other suitable connection methods may be used to attach anabutment to the dental implant 20″.

Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certainpreferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond thespecifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodimentsand/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalentsthereof. In addition, while the number of variations of the inventionhave been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which arewithin the scope of this invention, will be readily apparent to those ofskill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplatedthat various combinations or subcombinations of the specific featuresand aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within thescope of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood thatvarious features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can becombined with, or substituted for, one another in order to performvarying modes of the disclosed invention. Thus, it is intended that thescope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited bythe particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should bedetermined only by a fair reading of the claims.

1.-21. (canceled)
 22. A method of attaching a dental implant and adental component, the method comprising: providing the dental implant,the dental implant comprising a lower portion including a thread on anouter surface and a cavity open at a proximal end of the dental implant,the cavity comprising a conical chamber, an interlock recess, and athreaded chamber; mating the dental component with the dental implant,the dental component comprising a coronal end, an apical end, a shapedportion, a conical portion below the shaped portion, an interlockportion comprising a hexagonal shape extending all the way to the apicalend of the dental component, and an inner bore extending through thecenter of the dental component; and inserting a screw in the inner boreof the dental component and the cavity of the dental implant to securethe dental component to the dental implant, the screw comprising anexternally threaded lower region to engage the threaded chamber of thedental implant.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein mating the dentalcomponent with the dental implant comprises fitting the hexagonal shapeof the interlock portion of the dental component within the interlockrecess of the dental implant.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein matingthe dental component with the dental implant comprises at leastpartially inserting the conical portion of the dental component into theconical chamber of the dental implant.
 25. The method of claim 22,wherein the conical portion of the dental component has a lengthmeasured along the longitudinal axis from a coronal end of the conicalportion to an apical end of the conical portion, wherein the interlockportion of the dental component has a length measured along thelongitudinal axis from a coronal end of the interlock portion to anapical end of the interlock portion, and wherein the ratio of the lengthof the conical portion and the length of the interlock portion is about1:1.
 26. The method of claim 22, wherein the conical chamber of thedental implant has a length measured along the longitudinal axis from acoronal end of the conical chamber to an apical end of the conicalchamber, wherein the interlock recess of the dental implant has a lengthmeasured along the longitudinal axis from a coronal end of the interlockrecess to an apical end of the interlock recess, and wherein the ratioof the length of the conical chamber and the length of the interlockrecess is about 1:1.
 27. The method of claim 22, wherein the inner boreof the dental component comprises a first and second region, and whereinthe first region comprises a diameter that is larger than the diameterof the second region whereby a seat is formed between the first andsecond regions.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein inserting the screwcomprises supporting the screw on the seat formed between the first andsecond regions of the inner bore of the dental component.
 29. The methodof claim 27, wherein the second region of the inner bore comprises aninternal thread, and wherein inserting the screw comprises engaging theexternally threaded lower region of the screw with the internal threadof the inner bore of the dental component.
 30. The method of claim 22,wherein the screw includes a recess configured to receive a tool toinstall or remove the screw from the dental implant.
 31. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the hexagonal shape of the interlock portion defines aplurality of side surfaces and an end surface transverse to the sidesurfaces, wherein the hexagonal shape of the interlock portion hasbeveled sides and beveled corners along its perimeter at the apical endof the dental component such that the perimeter is beveled relative tothe side surfaces and the end surfaces.
 32. The method of claim 22,wherein the lower portion of the dental implant is tapered.
 33. Themethod of claim 22, wherein the dental implant comprises a pair ofthreads on the outer surface.
 34. The method of claim 22, wherein thedental component is an abutment.
 35. The method of claim 22, wherein thedental component is a healing cap, impression coping, temporary healingabutment, or final abutment.
 36. The method of claim 22, wherein thedental component comprises dental grade titanium or ceramic.
 37. Themethod of claim 22, wherein the dental implant comprises titanium orceramic.